OnePlus 4: rumours, specifications and release date

“Never settle” is the mantra of OnePlus – the company that has completely shaken up the smartphone industry. Offering flagship level performance at mid-range prices, the OnePlus 3 managed to spook pretty much the entire competition. Why pay £150-£200 more when the OnePlus 3 offered similar performance?

So what can we expect from the OnePlus 4? Here’s everything we know so far, though at this point it’s mostly rumour.

OnePlus 4: release date

The OnePlus 4 should be some way off. After all, we’ve only just had the OnePlus 3T. On the other hand, by the same logic, the OnePlus 3 was only five months old when the OnePlus 3T appeared.

So let’s take a look at the history book: The OnePlus One launched in April 2014. The OnePlus 2 followed in July 2015, and the OnePlus 3 emerged in June 2016.

Given the OnePlus 3T was released November 2016, I’d say July 2017 looks plausible. I certainly wouldn’t expect the OnePlus 4 to mimic the original handset’s April release date. We’ll update this as soon as we know better.

OnePlus 4: specifications

If you’re concerned that the OnePlus 4 will follow in the footsteps of Apple and Motorola in ditching the headphone jack, we think you’re safe. That’s not to say that OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei hasn’t considered it – it’s just that he putt the matter to his Twitter followers, who roundly dismissed the idea:

We don’t have much to go on at the moment, but one Weibo leaker has some tasty tips, if they’re to be believed.

First up, it might actually be called the OnePlus 5. The reasoning for this – if it’s true – could be something to do with tetraphobia. The number “Four” is considered unlucky in some Asian cultures, and OnePlus is a Chinese company.

Next up, you’ll see the leak suggests a glass body, rather than the metal design favoured by the previous OnePlus handsets. If true that would suggest that OnePlus will be continuing their slow price increases, as it’s hard to see how a glass handset could be cheaper than sticking to their previous metal design.

The leak also suggests 6/8GB RAM, which wouldn’t be unsurprising given the OnePlus 3 and 3T had 6GB onboard already. We’re promised an upgraded screen resolution from the previous handsets’ 1080p to Quad HD: 1,440 x 2,560. While we’ve been perfectly happy with the screens previous OnePlus handsets have had, this upgrade makes a lot more sense when you see the likes of Google, Samsung and LG making a big play for virtual reality. In short, if you’re sticking a screen an inch from your eyes, the more pixels the better.

Finally, the leak suggests we might be treated to a dual-lens camera. Given the OnePlus 3T upgraded the front-facing camera from 8MP to 16MP, I would bet big on OnePlus treating its photographers to further upgrades in the OnePlus 4.

OnePlus 4: price

The OnePlus series has undergone some serious price inflation since it first launched. The OnePlus One launched at £229. The OnePlus 2 nudged it up to £239, before the OnePlus 3 pushed it to £309. Then Brexit pushed the price of that up to £329, before the OnePlus 3T appeared at £399.

With that in mind, and given the suggested design and specification changes listed above, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this trend continue. The OnePlus 4 could be as much as £460, I would guess – which would still make it good value compared to its rivals, but the advantage is definitionally shrinking, if I’m right.

I could be wrong, of course, but in any case I wouldn’t expect to see a price cut, so it will be no less than the 3T’s £399. So let’s say between £400 and £460.